Piano-action.



S. B. LYON.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1913.

1,121,517, Patented Dec. 15,1914.

\\ 1 ill I ZZZ/6731400 L on. %l /265 if gv ys 9 SWIFT B. LYON, OF'WQRCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914;.

Application filed September 25, 1813. Serial No. 791,818.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, SWIFT B. LYON, a citizenof the United States,residing at lVorcester, in the county of Worcesterand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Piano-Action,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an upright piano action and particularly tocertain rearrangements of the operating parts of a piano action by whichincreased efficiency and certainty of operation will result.

In the operation of piano actions of usual design it has been found thatthe back check has a decided tendency to block the action whenever thekey-supporting felt becomes worn or displaced, and, furthermore, thatthe adjustment of the back check involves a considerable amount of bothtime and skill.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a back check andcooperating parts so designed that blocking of the action will beeliminated, even if the key-supporting felt is entirely removed, andalso to provide a check in which the adjustment of the parts may be mosteasily accomplished.

Further objects of my invention are to provide improved operatingmechanism for the damper lever, an improved flange for mounting thewippen and hammer butt, and an improved arrangement of parts by whichspace is economized so that automatic player attachments can be easilyapplied.

With these objects in view my invention comprises certain devices,arrangements, and combinations which will be hereinafter described andmore specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawin s in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a piano action involving my invention;and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of certain parts thereof.

The action is shown as mounted upon the usual action rail 10 to which issecured a flange 11 supporting the hammer butt l2 and the wippen 13. Akey 14 is mounted in the usual manner and is adjustably connected to thewippen by the rod 15, connecting the wippen and the adjusting member 16.The hammer head is indicated at 17, arranged in position to strike thepiano strings 18. A damper 19 of common construction is mounted upon thedamper lever 20 pivoted to a flange 21 which in turn is secured to theaction rail 10. The usual spring 22 mounted upon the spring rail 23serves to normally maintain the hammer in rearward position, where itrests against the hammer rail 24:.

Reference to the drawings will show that the hammer butt l2 and wippen13 are pivotally mounted upon the same flange 11 and that the pivotsabout which they turn are closely adjacent. The jack 25 which cooperateswith the hammer butt in the usual way is much reduced in length over theforms commonly used, and is mounted within a recess 26 in the wippen 13.The jack is of such size that, when tripped, substantially its entirestructure is received in the recess 26 in the wippen.

An intermediate member 2? is pivoted to the wippen at 28 and is providedwith a cushion surface 29 which rests upon the rear end of the jack 25.The usual regulating screw 30 is mounted in the regulating rail 31 andis also provided with a cushion surface on its lower end. As the rod 15is raised. the intermediate member 27 contacts with the regulating screw30 and thereafter operates to depress and trip the jack 25. When theintermediate lever 27 contacts with the regulating screw 30 it isprevented from moving farther upwardly, and by pressing upon the end ofthe jack 25 it prevents farther upward movement of the jack. As thewippen continues to rise, the end of the jack is received within therecess in the wippen. The member 27 also serves as a multiplying leverto relatively increase the rate of movement of the jack. This feature isof much importance where quick repetition of the same note is necessary.

Upon the rear surface of the hammerbutt a cushion-pad 32 is secured anda back check 33 is flexibly connected to the wippen 13 at 34. The backcheck has a coiiperating cushion surface indicated at 33 A screw 35provides for the adjustment of the back check 33, and when the desiredadjustment has been efi'ected the check acts substantially as anintegral part of the wippen and moves at all times in unison therewith.After the wippen has been raised by the key l'land a blow has beendelivered, the hammer butt is sustained in checked position by thecontact of the back check 33 with the cushion pad 32.

Within the recess 26 in the wippen there is provided a cushion member 36with which the lower end of the jack contacts when the jack is depressedwithin the recess. The front ends of the keys 1% when depressed restupon washers of felt or similar material not shown. Under ordinaryconditions these washers limit the downward move ments of the front endsof the keys, and consequently limit the upward movement of the rods 15.If one of these key-supporting washers becomes worn or displaced, thepressure upon the key will tend to move the several parts of the actionunit beyond their normal operative position. In my improved action thisabnormal movement is prevented in the following manner.

The pressure of the key is transferred through the rod 15 to the wippen13. As the wippen rises the intermediate lever 27 contacts with theregulating screw 30, its further upward movement being therebyprevented. As the wippen continues to rise, the intermediate leverdepresses the jack relatively to the wippen until it rests against thecushion 36. The parts thus positioned afford a firm resistance to thepressure upon the key. The abnormal pressure is thus sustained by thejack and intermediate lever instead of by the back check as in the usualconstruction. seen that the back check 33 approaches the cushion member32 in a direction substantially normal to the surfaces of each of theseparts so that sliding motion of these parts upon each other is entirelyeliminated. It

,maybe added that the blocking of the action which occurs with the usualconstruction is largely due to this relative sliding motion betweenthese parts when under abnormal pressure.

By forming the back check substantially integral with the wippen,mounting the jack within the wippen and securing the cushion pad 32directly upon the hammer butt, I materially reduce the space occupied bythe action and particularly the depthfrom front to back, a point of muchimportance when adding automatic player attachments to the piano.

The wippen 13 is provided with the lateral extension 38 which overlies acorresponding lateral extension 39 upon the damper lever 20. Theextension 39 rests upon a spring T0 mounted upon a lug projecting fromthe supporting rail 10, and is provided upon its upper surface with acushion member 41. The extension 38 of the wippen is It will also be'The closely adjacent mounting of the hammer butt and wippen enables meto utilize a single flange for supporting these parts and I have hereinshown a flange of peculiarly simple construction by which the pivots ofthe butt and wippen may be securely held in correct relative position.

This flange consists of a single narrow barhaving properly spacednotches near the upper end thereof and a single retaining plate 45secured by a screw 44: to the bar and acting to clamp the pivot pins forthe hammer butt and wippen within the notches above mentioned. A similarconstruction is involved in the flange 21 which supports thedamper lever20 but in this case only a single pivot is provided.

While a preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings it isobvious that many changes and modifications can be made therein by oneskilled in the art and I do not wish to be limited to the details ofconstruction herein shown, but

What I do claim is 1. An upright piano action, having in combination asupporting rail, a flange mounted thereon, a wippen and a hammer buttpivoted closely adjacent on said flange, a back check flexibly connectedwith said wippen, means for adjusting the position of said back check,said check cooperating with a cushion mounted directly on the hammerbutt, a regulating button, a jack mounted in a recess in said wippen,and a cushion pad in the recess in position to engage and support theend of the jack after the jack is tripped by said button, said wippenand jack thereafter forming a stop and preventing the application ofcontinued and excessive pressure upon the hammer.

2. An upright piano action having in combination a supporting rail, awippen mounted on said rail, a jack mounted in a recess in said wippen,a regulating button mounted on the rail for tripping the jack, and anintermediate member pivoted to the wippen, overlying one end of thejack, and effective to trip the jack when depressed by the regulatingbutton.

3. An upright piano action having in combination a supporting rail, anda damper lever and wippen pivotally mounted thereon, said lever having aprojection extending laterally and substantially horizontally from apoint near its pivot. said wippen having a projection extendinglaterally beyond its 10 overlying said lever extension, and havingmounted thereon an adjustable spring plate for Withdrawing said damper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

SWIFT B. LYON.

Witnesses CHAs. T. HAWLEY, O. FORREST WESSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. C.

